MMA gym growing in East Stroudsburg

Competitors in a ring, whether it's in boxing or martial arts, need to be multi-dimensional.

WAYNE WITKOWSKI

Competitors in a ring, whether it's in boxing or martial arts, need to be multi-dimensional.

That's the adage of Don Cioffi, manager and head coach for the Team Chamber MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Gym that opened in Janaury at 102 S. Courtland St.

Boxers training there are encouraged to also train in disciplines such as jiu jitsu and kick boxing. By doing that, they can improve hand speed and agility. Someone training in jiu jitsu, on the other hand, can strengthen striking power by putting on the boxing gloves.

"You need it," Cioffi said of crossing into different disciplines. "You don't want to be one-dimension. You can't make it that way."

Demetrius Lindsey, who lives in Stroudsburg, agrees with that approach. Lindsey trains regularly in the gym and has had five amateur bouts at 205 pounds and hopes to turn pro after his next one in Philadelphia.

"I just wanted to have the training atmosphere of the group and I love doing this," said Lindsey, a Reading native who had played football at East Stroudsburg University and was on a defensive end on the team that qualified for the NCAA tournament when he was an underclassman in 2006. He is a graduate student in history at ESU.

Lindsey said he has no problem adapting from boxing to kick fighting or even Brazilian jiu jitsu taught by Frank Rosenthal, a popular discipline that originated in Japan and involves fighting on the ground. Highly regarded boxer Isaac Jones from Easton sticks with boxing, because he says he doesn't want to injure his legs, says Cioffi.

"We do things very different here," said Cioffi, referring to the blended training. "You become a fighter but it doesn't take you out of your element. You just learn all phases."

Instructors Sean Diggs teaches Muay Thai, which is a form of kick boxing, and Keith Byard comes in from Chatham, N.J. to conduct Greco Roman style wrestling classes.

Rosenthal said Brazilian jiu jitsu has exploded in interest after some trainers began using it for ultimate fighting when the combat goes to the mat.

"When they started using it, everyone was in shock because it changed the style of fighting that jiu jitsu wasn't just about striking but about fighting on the ground. Martial arts took a major change in direction," Rosenthal said.

Cioffi, a native of Denville, N.J., said he wishes he had the opportunity to cross over to other training techniques when he fought as an amateur and later professionally on boxing undercards in Atlantic City. He was a sparring partner with former two-time world welterweight champion James "Buddy" McGirt, who is a professional boxing trainer and cornerman these days, and Rocky Lockridge back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He said the "Chamber" part of the MMA title for the gym comes from the days when son Donny Jr. had a training area in their home, a small compartment room in the house that they had nicknamed the "chamber." There is a "cage" area near the front of the gym.

This gym is larger than two prior locations Cioffi had on Ann Street and Progress Street in Stroudsburg, "and it's a storefront, so there's better visibility here," Cioffi said. "We have people coming in off the street to see what it's about and take classes."

Classes enrollment has reached 48, said Cioffi, and there is a Team MMA Chamber for team competitions. Although most established combatants come in by appointment. There are instructional lessons for those in the earlier stages of the disciplines from 5 to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Cioffi said it has drawn many students from ESU.